June 3, 2018
Evening Service

In the first part of this chapter Jesus was flogged, mocked and persecuted by the Roman soldiers; men that Jesus would later ask God to forgive them for they did not understand what they were doing.  Pilate tried to release Him finding no fault with Him, but finally caved in to the pressure and chose the easier road and sent Jesus to be crucified.  He feared the Jews would begin an insurrection that would cause him to lose his job and possibly his life.  Little did he know that he was playing a part in God’s plan.

John 19:16-18 Then he delivered Him up to them that He might be crucified. And they took Jesus and led Him away.  (17)  And bearing His cross, He went out to a place called, The Place of a Skull (which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha) (18) where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the middle.

·        Crucifixion was the Roman preferred form of execution.  The condemned man was forced to carry his cross along a main road to the execution site as a public spectacle warning others to remain obedient.  Though there are other methods, Jesus was nailed to His cross through probably through his wrists and His feet or ankles.  Death would slowly come by suffocation as the weight of the body made breathing difficult as the victim lost his strength.  It was a very slow and painful way to die.  It was also very humiliating as it was done for all to see and even in the law in Deuteronomy it says that “he who is hanged on a tree is accursed by God.”

·        We then ask the question why this way?  It left no doubt that Jesus had died because a great crowd watched witnessed the whole thing making his resurrection even more powerful.  God never chooses to do things half way; He always goes all out to do it right leaving no doubt.

 

 John 19:19-22  And Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.  (20)  Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.  (21)  Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, the king of the Jews, but that he said, I am king of the Jews.”  (22)  Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

·        This sign was meant to be ironic.  A king stripped, beaten and humiliated in public display was supposed to show His lack of control of any kingdom.  But Jesus, whose ways are not man’s ways, was actually creating His kingdom not losing it.  His death would strike the final deathblow to Satan’s rule defeating him once and for all time.  The sign was true; He was King of the Jews as well King of the Gentiles and King of the entire universe that He had created.  King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

 

John 19:23-24  Then when they had crucified Jesus, the soldiers took His garments and made four parts, one part to each soldier; and also His tunic. And the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout.  (24)  Therefore they said among themselves, Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to find whose it shall be (that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says, "They parted my garments among them, and for my garment they cast lots"). Therefore the soldiers did these things.

·        This again is a prophecy fulfilled from Psalms 22:18.  It was prophecy like this that the disciples would later discover with the help of the Holy Spirit to continue to build their faith the Jesus was indeed the Son of God.

 

John 19:25-27 And His mother stood by the cross of Jesus, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  (26)  Then when Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”  (27)  Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her into his own home.

·        This was the Apostle John who wrote this letter as he often referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”  History confirms that John did indeed take Mary into his care even taking her to Ephesus with him.

·        What a great example of unselfish love.  Experiencing the agony of the beatings and the cross, Jesus’ thoughts were still upon those that He loved.

·        It was also upon the cross that Luke records Jesus pleading for those who were crucifying Him; “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”  He loved not only those who loved Him, but also those who persecuted and killed Him.  He taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use us.  He does not ask us to do anything that He hasn’t already done.

·        The Matthew and Mark mention Him crying out “My God, My God why have You forsaken Me?”  This was the moment that all the sins of the world were cast upon Him.  God the Father being unable to be in the presence of sin, had to turn His back and break fellowship with His Son for the first and last time.  This is the part of Jesus’ death that we often overlook, but it had to be one of the hardest parts.  Jesus literally hung there alone upon the cross bearing all of mankind’s transgressions upon Him. No man has ever carried a larger burden upon themselves and no other man could have done it; only Jesus.  That is why salvation comes only through His Name and no other.

 

John 19:28-30 After this, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.”  (29)  Then a vessel full of vinegar was set. And they filled a sponge with sour wine and put it upon hyssop, and put it to His mouth.  (30)  Then when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up the spirit.

·        The vinegar was again more prophecy fulfilled from the Book of Psalms. 

·        The OT was filled with a complicated system that centered on animal sacrifices for the forgiveness or atonement of sin.  It is sin that separates us from God and those animal sacrifices were offered to forgive man of sins making a relationship with God possible.  It was something that continued on year after year only really rolling forward their sins to this time in history.  It is right here that Jesus offers Himself as the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin.  The translation of “It is finished” can also mean “paid in full.”  The price for sin (death) was paid in full by Jesus once and for all time.  No further sacrifice will ever be needed the debt we owed for our sins has been forgiven. (Read Hebrews 9)

·        The elimination of our sin is a key to the factor in us attaining eternal life.  Upon believing and being forgiven, we receive the Spirit of God to live within us.  Without the forgiveness of our sins, God’s Spirit would not be able to dwell within a sinful person such as ourselves.  That is why the Holy Spirit was not given to abide within us until after Jesus died upon the cross erasing our sins.  Possessing the Spirit of God in our lives is our eternal life.

 

John 19:31-37  Then the Jews, because it was Preparation, begged Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away, so that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath. For that Sabbath was a high day.  (32)  Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with Him.  (33)  But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.  (34)  But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a lance, and instantly there came out blood and water.  (35)  And he who saw bore record, and his record is true. And he knows that he speaks true, so that you might believe.  (36)  For these things were done so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of Him shall be broken."  (37)  And again another Scripture says, "They shall look upon Him whom they pierced."

·        This was more scripture fulfilled as well as leaving no argument from those who witnessed this that Jesus had indeed died upon that cross.  It would have been an argument of those opposing the resurrection that Jesus had simply passed out and not really died.  Here there is no room for doubt.  The water and the blood indicated the piercing of the heart and the fluid that surrounds it.

·        It is also more prophecy fulfilled that they did not have to break his legs to hasten His death.  His side being was prophesied in Zech. 12.

 

John 19:38-42  And after these things, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews) begged of Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave permission. Then he came and took the body of Jesus.  (39)  And Nicodemus also came, who at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.  (40)  Then they took the body of Jesus and wound it with linens with the spices, as is the custom of the Jews to bury.  (41)  And in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one yet had been placed.  (42)  There, then, because of the Preparation of the Jews, because the tomb was near, they laid Jesus.

·        We again see Nicodemus after his discussion with Jesus in secret way back in chapter 3.  He and Joseph were both members of Jewish high court and were secret followers of Christ.  They had not come forward yet fearing their allegiance to Jesus would cost them their social position and status.  Apparently what they had seen that day was enough to convince them to step forward and proclaim their faith.

·        They took His body to a tomb, which was probably a cave carved out of the stone hillside and buried Him there before sundown.  A large stone was rolled in front of the opening to prohibit anyone from stealing the body.  Guards were also placed there to guard the tomb.  They could have placed a 100 stones and had a thousand soldiers, but they would not have kept Jesus in that grave.

·        Next week we will celebrate the next vital part of God’s plan of salvation; the resurrection.

 

Father, thank You for revealing to us Your plan for the forgiveness of our sins.  Please help us to never take lightly the price that was paid.